It ’s been more than 80 years since the Judy Garland - starring version ofThe Wizard of Ozfirst bump off theatre in 1939 , which means it was really only a topic of sentence before Hollywood decided to make it again . fit in toVariety , that ’s ultimately bump .
Though it ’s still too other for rustle to circulate about who might don the crimson ruby slider — or any tin , fur , or stubble — this metre around , we do know who ’ll be directing those characters down the yellow brick road : Nicole Kassell , whose past directorialcreditsinclude episodes ofWatchmen , The Leftovers , andThe Americans .
“ While the 1939 musical is part of my DNA , I am exhilarated and humbled by the responsibility of re - imagining such a fabled tale , ” Kassellsaidin a statement . “ The opportunity to study the original themes — the quest for bravery , love , wisdom , and home — feels more timely and pressing than ever . These are deeply iconic shoe to meet , and I am eager to dance alongside these submarine sandwich of my puerility as we pave a newly minted yellow brick road ! ”
It ’s deserving mention that the most renowned version ofThe Wizard of Ozis , itself , a remaking . L. Frank Baum ’s original novel was adapted several time prior to 1939 during the silent motion-picture show era . A 1910 movie , which is believed to have been manoeuver by Otis Turner , is the only earlier adaptation that is still known to subsist .
Kassell ’s commitment to adapting Baum ’s magicalstoryin a way that pays court to Victor Fleming ’s iconic film hopefully wo n’t extend to reusing any old make-up techniques . The aluminium powder used as Buddy Ebsen ’s Tin Man makeup embarrass his air lane and landed him in the hospital ; and Wicked Witch of the West actor Margaret Hamilton sustained severe burns when her copper - base greenish make-up caught on fervency during a shoot . Maybe , if we ’re lucky , the studio apartment will bring the Cowardly Lion to life using the digital pelt technology from 2019’sCats .
News of the remaking will no doubt gall longtimeThe Wizard of Ozfans , along with anyone who feel like the amusement diligence ’s penchant for reboots is getting a small out of hand . That said , this wo n’t be the first time we ’ve seen someone put a new spin on Oz . There wasThe Wiz(1978 ) , based on a Broadway melodious ; and Sam Raimi’sOz : The Great and Powerful(2013 ) . Gregory Maguire fleshed out the Wicked Witch ’s backstory in a record series , which then spawned another Broadway musical , Wicked . ( That , too , isgettingthe cinema treatment . )
[ h / tVariety ]
